life in oregon

Life In OregonVolume 20 • Number 5 December 2012-January 2013

Oregon Right to Life4335 River Road N.Salem, OR 97303

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

P A I DSalem, OR

Permit No. 411

Upcoming Events

Standupgirl.com Foundation Gala DinnerJanuary 5, 2013Corvallis — St. Mary Catholic Church

Standupgirl.com Foundation Gala Dinner January 18, 2013 Astoria — The Loft at the Red Building

2013 Roe W. Wade Memorial Rally January 20, 2013 Portland Pioneer Courthouse Square

Camp Joshua March 24-27, 2013 For information, visit www.campjoshua.net

Oregon Right to Life Conference April 20, 2013 Portland — Holiday Inn, Airport

Standupgirl.com Foundation Gala Dinner Salem — Illahe Hills Country Club April 25, 2012

Standupgirl.com Foundation Gala Dinner Portland Golf Club May 16, 2013

All Standupgirl.com Foundation dinner events begin at 6 p.m. For more information, call 503-304-1531.

• CoosCounty:Sunday,January20,from1to2pm.MeetattheDowntownCoosInformationBlock.541-347-9280.

• CurryCounty:Forinfo.,call503-463-8563.• DouglasCounty:Sunday,January20.Meetat2

pmatMercyMedicalCenterStatueinRoseburgandwalktoSeventhDayAdventistChurch.BringshowergiftsforHopePregnancyCenterandSafeHavenMaternityHome.541-459-1440.

• LaneCounty:Saturday,January19,from10:30to12.MemorialrallyatSt.PaulCatholicChurch,1201SatreSt.,Eugene.541-747-1079.

• JacksonCounty:Sunday,January20.Meetat1:30pmonthestepsoftheJacksonCountyJusticeBuildinginMedford.

• JosephineCounty:Sunday,January20.Meetat1pmatJosephineCountyCourtHouseinGrantsPass.Marchat1:30toRiversidePark.541-479-9827.

• KlamathFalls:Forinfo.,call503-463-8563.• MalheurCounty:Forinfo.,call541-473-3080.• Salem:Tuesday,January22.Candlelightvigilat6

pmatSalemPlannedParenthoodClinic,3825WolverineNE.503-585-7856.

Rallies in other communities

“Union Dues” continued on page 4

Sunday, January 20, 2013 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer Courthouse

Square — Portland

March for Life begins immediately after rally

National Right to Life president, Carol Tobias (above), will be the keynote speaker. She will be joined by Oregon Right to Life president, Dr. Joan Sage, as well as Dr. Frank Rosenbloom, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, and Archbishop John Vlazny. The Portland Praise Band will begin its life-celebrating concert at 2:15. Visit the many booths and join the march immediately following the rally. This is an important event. Your presence is requested.

National Right to Life president speaks at Roe v. Wade 40th anniversary rally!

By Terrilyn Kroeker

About one year ago, co-workers at my state job began pressuring me to get personally involved in our union. As a novice member, I initially agreed to help audit the union books, but eventually I was elected to the executive board. It was here

that I became aware of how political and liberal our union is. Don’t get me wrong, unions have done good things for their members. But, as a Christian, I could not support union dues being used to advocate for pro-abortion candidates and policies. I knew that I had to take a stand.

My guilt about contributing to pro-abortion candidates through my monthly union dues continued to grow and I visited the union website to check it out. Initially, the entire site appeared non-offensive. Then, I went to the search feature and entered politically loaded key words, including

“abortion.” I was shocked that my union site expresses a liberal opinion on virtually every social issue and insinuates that their membership agrees with those opinions.

In addition, the union’s money trail that supports political campaigns was not

How one woman’s union dues help change hearts and save lives on Standupgirl.com

P I O N E E R C O U R T H O U S E S Q U A R E / / P O R T L A N D

January 20, 2013 2:30 pm

Life in Oregon is an official publication of Oregon Right to Life, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the unborn and the sanctity of human life. Life in Oregon is mailed five times per year to 35,000 households. The subscription rate is $5 per year.

Life In Oregon/Oregon Right to Life 4335 River Road North, Salem, OR 97303

Phone: (503) 463-8563 • website: www.ortl.org • e-mail: [email protected]

Gayle Atteberry, Executive Director • Cindy Rahm, Editor

Printed by Eagle Web Press • Reprinted by Permission

2 December 2012-January 2013

fromtheDIRECToR

Mission statementOregon Right to Life, an affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, is Oregon’s most established and comprehensive pro-life organization. Our membership includes people from all walks of life, from various political, social and economic backgrounds who share the common desire to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and destructive human research such as embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

A policy of peaceOregon Right to Life opposes any form of violence to fight the violence of abortion. We have a strict policy forbidding violence (or illegal activity) by our staff, directors, officers, and chapters. Our commitment to the well-being of all human life requires that we respect the inherent value and dignity of all people. Accordingly, as we condemn abortion and euthanasia, we likewise condemn the deliberate destruction of another person’s property or the act of inflicting bodily harm in any form on abortionists or other pro-abortion workers.

Just imagineThe election results were devastating. Both nationally and in our

state, pro-abortion politicians were given free rein to govern. This will result in even more deaths to unborn children. And health care will begin to be rationed.

In spite of political re-sults, we pro-lifers still have the same calling — to pro-tect unborn children from abortion. Now, with abortion and funding more available, we need to expand our ef-forts so that fewer women will opt for abortion. Here at Oregon Right to Life, we will step up the work we have been doing.

Let’s not forget that the work we have been doing over the years HAS had an effect in changing hearts as well as saving lives. Our Education Foundation reaches hundreds of thousands of Oregonians each year through its statewide activities, and every time Oregonians are exposed to an informative ORTL booth at community events, many see the truth about abortion for the first time. Every time, babies are saved and hearts are changed. Oregon Right to Life’s website, www.standupgirl.com, which welcomes nearly three million visitors each year, is one of the leading pro-life websites in the world and saves babies every day. Forty Days for Life has saved nearly 800 babies in their fall campaign. Oregon abortion numbers and rates have dropped dramatically in the last ten years.

What if abortion were to remain legal but, because of our good works, all mothers choose life for their unborn babies? That is what we work toward. A young woman came into our office recently, angry that Planned Parenthood had been passing out literature on her college campus. She walked out with pro-life literature to pass out to fellow students. Small actions make a difference.

Our imagination is our only limitation to ways we can reach Or-egonians with the truth about life. Oregon Right to Life is committed to imagining and doing all we can to change hearts and save lives. Please join us and sign up to be one of our Life Team Coordinators. In this program, we provide you with a project and all the necessary tools to reach your neighbors, family, and church members. Email [email protected] or fill out the form to the left to sign up.

God says that He will “turn all things to good for them who love Him.” Let’s turn this bad election to good by working harder and more creatively to save babies!

Gayle Atteberry, Director

December 2012-January 2013 3

PoLITICALFoRuMThree requests

Many pro-life activists labor hard and faithfully to end abor-tion, but success is often elusive. It is a natural thing to ask why.

It can also be helpful to ask why. Was there some-thing we did or didn’t do that we can change for our next effort? As Oregon’s largest pro-life organization, ORTL has the responsibil-ity to evaluate and make changes as we strive to use the resources generously provided to us in the most effective way possible to save lives, change hearts, and change laws in Oregon.

All aspects of the 2012 presidential campaign have been evaluated following election night, from door-to-door efforts in Pennsylvania, to the effect of superstorm Sandy. There has been no shortage of discussion in the state office, with our PAC board, and among people with whom we work on statewide campaigns. Evaluating is important and helpful, for a time, but now is the time to move forward.

My husband loves war movies. I had never even watched one before we met, but I started to watch them to better understand him and became a fan myself. One of our favorites is the Band of Brothers series. There is a scene in the “Market Garden” episode where a squad begins to take fire and they dive into a ditch. One of the soldiers asks, “What do we do?” and another soldier responds, “Stay here, stay down.” But then the squad leader comes along and shouts, “Get out of there! Keep moving!” The more experienced leader knows that when you stay in one place it might feel safe, but you are also a target much easier to hit.

This scene has come into my mind many times when it feels like we are “taking fire.” It is so tempting to get down and stay put, but what we need to do is get up and move ahead toward our goal. While we are all committed to the larger goal of ending abortion, the focus for Oregon Right to Life’s political team must be to elect more pro-life candidates to all levels of government in Oregon.

I have three requests for you to consider as we move forward together: (1) Actively look for people in your community who would be good candidates for office and let us know about them. (2) Attend our annual conference in April to connect with pro-lifers from around the state of Oregon to re-energize and learn about the latest developments in the pro-life cause. (3) Acquire one new skill and use it to help with a pro-life project. Need some ideas? Please email me at [email protected] or phone me at 503-463-8563. I would love to chat with you.

Lois Anderson, Director of Political Operations

Election recap: Progress by inches

NATIONAL:The results of the 2012

elections were extremely dis-heartening to pro-lifers, and deadly for unborn children. If Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan had won, Planned Parent-hood, the largest abortion provider in America, would not have continued to receive more than 450 million dollars annually from the federal government for the first time since 1970. Instead, because President Barack Obama won, tax dollars provided through Obamacare will pay for abor-tions. If Mitt Romney had won the election, he would have likely appointed two more pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Instead, President Obama is expected to appoint two justices who support abortion. Obamacare will also usher in rationed health care for the sick and elderly. The consequences of this election will be long-last-ing.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate remains in pro-abor-tion hands. The good news is that the U.S. House retains a pro-life majority, with Speaker John Boehner and a majority of House members who are pro-life or will vote pro-life. The House will be able to combat some pro-abortion legislation that comes from the Senate.

STATE:Results in Oregon were

not much better. Four pro-life members lost hard-fought,

expensive campaigns. If our pro-life candidates had won, pregnancy resource centers would be safe from burden-some regulations and the legislature would likely have voted to restrict late-term abortions. But, because candi-dates who support abortion won, pregnancy resource centers could face regulations intend-ed to put them out of business. Ulti-mately, thousands of children who are aborted every year in Oregon will not have a voice in the legislative process.

Despite these setbacks, there were some glimmers of hope in other parts of the country. For the first time, pro-life politicians put Planned Parenthood on trial after 42 years of using tax dollars to support their abortion-promoting policies. Pro-life activists won a gov-ernorship in North Carolina, which has not had a pro-life governor in 32 years. And, in a huge win for the pro-life movement, assisted suicide was rejected by the voters of Massachusetts despite a massive campaign by suicide advocates. Oregon Right to Life joined with pro-life orga-nizations across the country in funding that campaign to

oppose assisted suicide.Even here in Oregon, the

pro-life movement enjoyed some success as a result

of our work in the 2012 election cycle. In state House races, pro-life Rep-resentatives Jason Conger and Mark Johnson won very competitive races. We also gained two new pro-life mem-bers in Representa-tives John Davis and Gail Whitsett. In the state Senate, three new pro-life Sena-tors, Tim Knopp, Betsy Close, and Bill Hansell, replaced three politicians who support abor-tion. Oregon also gained seven new pro-life county commissioners in Clackamas, Yamhill, Jackson, Josephine,

and Klamath counties. All of this means that we are living in a state and a nation that is, despite some setbacks, increasingly pro-life and this is reflected more so every election cycle.

The fight to protect devel-oping babies and the elderly is not over. We are getting closer to the day when our society recognizes every person’s dignity and value. Although every team enjoys a good home run, often it is the bunts and walks that eventu-ally lead to victory.

Representative Jason Conger

Representative Mark Johnson


“Union Dues” continued from page 1

To my pro-life friends and allies,

The results of Tuesday’s presidential election were certainly disappointing. We knew the next president might get the opportunity to appoint as many as four new judges to the U.S. Supreme Court. We also knew that the 2012 election marked our best opportunity to repeal Obamacare. We were running against an incumbent president who very openly and aggressively supported legal abor-tion. We knew the stakes were high, and we responded admirably. In the end, our efforts came up a bit short.

However, I want to encourage you not to despair. We continue to make good progress. In fact, I would argue that our biggest successes during the past twenty years have neither been political nor legislative. Our biggest success story is that we have succeeded in changing the hearts and minds of millions of Ameri-cans.

Allow me to explain. One simple measure of the effectiveness of the pro-life movement is the number of abortions that are performed every year in this country. The number of abortions has de-clined from 1.6 million in 1990 to about 1.2 million in 2008. That is 1.2 million too many, but it is also a 25 percent decline. The consistent decline in the incidence of abortion is progress the pro-life move-ment could sometimes do a better job advertising.

So, why has the abortion rate

declined? It is due partly to the state level pro-life laws we have passed. I am probably the most dogged defender of the incrementalist strategy in the pro-life movement. I frequently cite numerous academic studies, including my own research, which shows that public fund-ing restrictions, parental involvement laws, and properly designed informed consent laws all reduce abortion rates. I also detail how the strategies our oppo-nents promote, like greater spending on welfare or contraceptive programs, have no effect on abortion — or are, in many cases, counterproductive.

However, I want to remind everyone that the abortion rate has fallen in every state — even deep blue states that have not passed any pro-life laws since 1990. Why is this? It is mostly because hearts and minds are changing. Ultrasound technology has developed that allows people to see clear pictures of sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews in utero. We have also developed an impressive network of pregnancy resource centers that provide vital assistance to literally thousands of women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Furthermore, we have become increasingly smart and savvy in our outreach efforts. There are too many good pro-life outreach efforts for me to name in this letter. However, I think that the Silent No More campaign has done a great job communicating the regret of many post-abortive women. The 40 Days for Life campaign has inspired thousands of people to become more active in their pro-life work. The annual Students for Life of American (SFLA) conference dur-ing the March for Life weekend routinely attracts thousands of college students — making this the largest pro-life con-ference in the country. Finally, the videos produced by LiveAction Films have done a great job exposing unethical and illegal activities at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country.

We have realized that we have to work smarter and work harder than our opponents. Many fail to realize the difficulties that Roe v. Wade has im-posed on the pro-life movement. Roe not only legalized abortion on demand and made abortion policy resistant to change, it also changed society’s sexual

and cultural mores in such a way as to make subsequent restrictions on abortion more difficult to enact. It gave abortion rights mainstream political legitimacy. Moreover, it created a national network of abortion providers with a financial in-terest in easy access to abortion. Overall, through the creativity and dedication, we have done a good job overcoming many of these obstacles.

Of course, I do not want to dismiss politics. After the 1998 election, many conservatives were disgusted that the Le-winsky scandal did not result in a greater political backlash against the Democratic Party. Some suggested that conservatives disengage from politics. However, I would never recommend that course of action. Winning elections and passing laws has certainly done some good. Furthermore, if nothing else, pro-lifers have to play defense. The unique problems posed by both the HHS mandate and Obamacare will only be solved through political engagement.

Most important, I do not want pro-lifers to despair. The past 20 years have been good to us. It was just 20 years ago we received a very disappointing judicial ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. A number of surveys indicated that the pro-life position was losing ground in the court of public opinion. The Republican Party was having serious discussions about removing the pro-life plank from its platform. Pro-lifers certainly had plenty of reasons for pessimism. But now everything has changed. Many surveys show that the pro-life position is gaining support, and no one disputes that the Republican Party will remain a pro-life party for the foreseeable future.

So, please keep doing your pro-life work with pride, conviction, and confidence. Our efforts have made a difference over the past 20 years. And, I have every confidence that if we stay the course, the next 20 years will be even better.

[This column by Dr. Michael New can be found at www.lifenews.com/2012/11/09/obama-won-but-the-pro-life-movement-is-still-winning. New is a political science professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and is a fellow at Witherspoon Institute. The column first appeared in First Things.]

Obama won, but the pro-life movement is still winning

very transparent. This is because the Oregon Secretary of State’s office treats unions like corporations for political spending purposes. That means they don’t have to set up a special political action committee registered with the state in order to donate funds. Their treasurers can simply write checks to candidates or ballot measures.

And so, with a few keyboard strokes, I began the process of applying for “religious exemption” status. After requesting information, I received a response that included five questions:1. Describe in complete detail the elements of

what it is that you are specifically objecting to regarding union membership or the paying of fair shares fees as a non-member.

2. Is your objection based on a teaching of your church? If so, please provide a copy of any and all documentation you have that explains that teaching.

3. How long have you held this belief?4. If possible, please provide a letter from your

pastor or religious leader verifying your membership in your church.

5. Provide us with any additional information and/or documentation which may serve to support your objection.

I submitted a letter answering these questions and outlining why I objected to being forced to contribute to political candidates who are actively contributing to the deaths of millions of unborn children. I included a copy of my church identity document which included the covenant, doctrine and philosophy of my faith. My pastor also graciously provided a letter.

I was pleasantly surprised when the union granted my “religious exemption” status! All I had to do then was to identify a mutually agreed upon non-religious organization to receive my monthly dues. I suggested Standupgirl.com, which the union reviewed and approved.

My little story about standing up for life has a very happy ending. Each month, my union sends my entire dues deduction to Standupgirl.com. The union still represents me, even though I cannot vote in union matters. I am no longer supporting pro-abortion candidates and Standupgirl.com uses that money to support young women in crisis pregnancies.

What about you? Does your union offer a religious objector status? Currently, of the thousands of members in my union, only a handful use this exemption. If you would like more information on how I was successful, please contact me at [email protected].

Oregon Right to Life is grateful for recent gifts in memory of:• Patty Blessing — Canby• Johnnie Knutson — Canby• John Roberts — Klamath Falls• Carl Rossetti — Cornelius• Rosalia Schemmel —

Silverton• Pat Varnas — Beaverton

In honor of their 12th anniversary• Mark and Julie Wagner —

Beaverton

Memorials


EDuCATINGFoRLIFE

Deadline for application is March 1, 2001

Dear friends at ORTLEFF:p Please contact me. The best time to call me

is _________.p I have provided for ORTLEF in my will or

other estate planning document.

Name:

Address:

City: State: ZIP:

Phone:

Mail to: Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation • 4335 River Road N. • Salem, OR 97303

SHORT FILM CONTESTAll films should be 3 minutes or less. Submis-

sions must be in DVD format only and should include length of film, name of producer (indi-vidual, family, organization, etc.) and contact information (address, phone number and email address). There is no theme for the short film contest. Contest deadline is April 1, 2013.

CONTEST CATEGORIES• Adult amateur — ages 18 and older• Junior amateur — ages 14 to 17• Youth amateur — ages 10 to 13• Professional — all ages

For more information, contact Chelsey at 503-463-8563 or email [email protected].

ESSAy, DRAWING AND ORATORy CONTESTSEssay/Drawing theme: Children, the heart of America• Drawing contest — grades K through 12• Essay contest — grades 5 through 12• Oratory contest — high school juniors and

seniors (The oratory contest has no theme. See our website for rules.)

The first place winner of the oratory contest will receive $400 and an expense paid trip to compete in the national contest on June 27-29, 2013 in Dallas, Texas.

To participate, contestants must first enter a local competition. LOCAL CONTEST DEADLINES VARY. For more information, go to www.ortl.org or call 503-463-8563.

2013 ORTLEF ContestsHost a pro-life booth!Now that the elections have delivered their disappointing

results, and the 40th anniversary of legalized abortion approaches, it seems that pro-lifers’ efforts should be directed to the area where we can make some progress — education.

Each January, I behold a sad sight when I enter the room in our office building where we keep the items we use for pro-life displays. I see many sets of fetal models and posters sitting on our shelves, unused. The Roe v. Wade anniversary is a perfect opportunity to educate fellow church members about abortion, so why not take the opportunity while we can? Life Team Coordinators, I’m specifically calling out to you! (See page 2 for more information about how to be a coordinator.)

While it’s easy to assume that others, especially our church friends and acquaintances, know about life issues and are naturally 100 percent pro-life, that isn’t necessarily true. Every time the Education Foundation has a pro-life display somewhere, we encounter people who are completely in the dark about the frequency of abortion, the development of the unborn child, the damage that abortion wreaks, and the healing and peace that’s available through post-abortion support programs. Many of these folks attend church and call themselves pro-life. They’ve heard about abortion, but what do they really know about it?

To prove my point: I was reading an article in a Christian publication recently about a gentleman who was personally saddened about the number of abortions that have occurred, but he didn’t want to dwell on it because it was so unpleasant. He had a good friend who, at some point, decided to throw all of his energy into pro-life work. The gentleman concluded that his friend’s recent commitment indicated he had become a little too radical. The gentleman regrets his former way of thinking about the issue and now sees why abortion requires our attention and action. Learning more about abortion can change people’s hearts. Pro-life displays provide that opportunity.

Another great reason to have a pro-life booth at your church or youth group is that our Standupgirl.com posters with photos of growing babies and nurturing mothers attract attention. They address the exciting and awe-inspiring subject of pregnancy in a very positive way and one that’s full of promise. All kinds of people are naturally drawn to the fascinating images of developing human life, and when they view the display they’ll be able to learn information that will deepen their knowledge of the tragedy of abortion, which takes a human being’s life, damages parents, wrecks relationships, and attempts to hide the fact that giving an unplanned baby life is possible and deeply rewarding.

Kate Ewald ORTLEF Director

If you’re like most people, you do your major giv-ing toward the end of the year. This occurs for sev-eral reasons: the closing of the tax season encour-ages itemizers to obtain income tax deductions, a barrage of earnest appeals by non-profits increases the awareness of financial need, and many folks are simply pre-disposed to end the year by making a charitable gift to an organization like the Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation.

With so many worthy charities asking for help, here are four reasons to include Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation in your year-end giving:• ORTLEF is the oldest and most respected pro-life

organization in Oregon. With the 40th anniver-sary of Roe v. Wade only weeks away, giving to ORTLEF helps ensure that we will continue to be a voice for the voiceless in 2013.

• ORTLEF is not about electing politicians and changing laws, but changing hearts and saving

lives. With the recent elections, the Education Foundation is even more important as we work to educate Oregonians about the impact abor-tion has on both the individual and society at large.

• A gift to ORTLEF says much about your values and commitments to family members and friends and encourages them to do the same. It is an op-portunity to share your abundant blessings and protect frightened, pregnant women and their unborn children.

• A gift to ORTLEF is tax deductible and is a wonderful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and ring in the New Year!

Contact ORTLEF’s director of planned giving, Lynda Harrington, for information regarding includ-ing charitable giving in your estate plan. Phone her at 1-800-524-9271 or email [email protected].

Four year-end reasons to give to Oregon Right to Life

Education Foundation


Battle over HHS contraception mandate continuesPresident Obama’s re-election will mean

more battles over the controversial Depart-ment of Health and Human Services man-date that forces all businesses and institu-tions, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties. Last February, the administration promised an “accommodation” for certain religious organizations. However, many religious organizations are rightly skeptical, and the “religious employer” exemption is so narrow that most groups do not qualify under the law, which is set to take effect in August of 2013.

Many expect that Obama’s re-election will only embolden his administration in its second term. Despite lawsuits and public sentiment, Obama has declared that he has no plans to get rid of the mandate. In fact, he says the contraception requirement was one of the reasons for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in the first place.

Polling continues to show that Ameri-cans are against the mandate. An October, 2012 poll by McLaughlin & Associates found that 57 percent oppose the require-ment, while only 37 percent support it.

Before Obama’s re-election, the number of lawsuits against the federal mandate had grown to 40, on behalf of some 100 plain-tiffs — including the University of Notre

Dame, the Archdiocese of Washington, Wheaton College, and Hobby Lobby stores. Additional lawsuits have been filed and the administration now faces scores of lawsuits from Catholic and evangelical colleges, businesses, and organizations. • On November 16, Tyndale House Pub-

lishers, represented by Alliance Defend-ing Freedom, won a decision in federal court. Though the administration argued that Tyndale wasn’t religious enough for an exemption (even though it is the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media and directs 96.5 percent of its profits to religious non-profit causes worldwide), the court ruled otherwise, that Tyndale does not have to follow Obama’s abortion pill mandate.

• In November, Americans United for Life filed a brief on behalf of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons and six other national medical organizations in Nebraska v. Health and Human Ser-vices, initiated by the state of Nebraska and six other states challenging the mandate.

• In July, Alliance Defending Freedom ob-tained the first-ever court order against the mandate on behalf of Colorado’s Hercules Industries and the Catholic family that owns it. Hercules, which manufactures heating and air condition-

ing equipment, employs 265 workers.• ADF attorneys are also litigating

three other lawsuits: one on behalf of Indiana’s Grace College and Seminary and California’s Biola University, one on behalf of Pennsylvania’s Geneva College and The Seneca Hardwood Lumber Com-pany and its owners, and one on behalf of Louisiana College. The suits repre-sent a cross-section of Protestants and Catholics who object to the mandate.

• In late October, a U.S. district judge in Michigan blocked, at least temporar-ily, the insurance mandate against the Catholic owner of a power equipment business that employs 170 people.

• Hobby Lobby is a privately held retail chain with more than 500 arts and crafts stores in 41 states. The Christian-owned-and-operated business says it will face crippling fines up to 1.3 million dollars per day for non-compliance beginning in January. In the suit, the Obama adminis-tration argued that once someone starts a “secular” business, he categorically loses the right to run that business in accordance with his conscience.

• Some 15 Catholic colleges and uni-versities recently signed on to a legal brief supporting Wheaton College and Belmont College, whose challenges to the HHS mandate were dismissed by two judges on the U.S. District Court for the

District of Columbia.• John Kennedy, president and CEO of Au-

tocam and Autocam Medical, filed suit in October against Sebelius and federal officials. Kennedy explained, “Essentially, we are forced to choose between violat-ing our religious convictions, stripping our associates of benefits, or shutting down our business. The Affordable Care Act threatens the right to religious freedom, upon which our nation was founded.” Autocam’s first-class benefits plan was recognized by the 2012 Michi-gan’s Healthiest Employers program.

• In October, two Baptist-affiliated col-leges, East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University, filed a lawsuit against the mandate. The two universities will face fines of over $10 million per year if they do not comply.

C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D., a Union Univer-sity professor, explains the far-reaching significance of the HHS mandate battle. Mitchell insists, “This policy is an uncon-scionable intrusion by the state into the consciences of American citizens. Contrary to portrayals in some of the popular media, this is not only a Catholic issue. All people of faith — even those who claim no faith — have a stake in whether or not the government can violate the consciences of its citizenry.”

Oregon Right to Life ConferenceApril 20, 2013Portland — Holiday Inn AirportChildren, the heart of AmericaKeynote Speaker: Karen Handel

Ms. Handel was Susan B. Komen’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy during the recent national controversy between Planned Parenthood and the Komen Foundation. Ms. Handel has written about her time at Komen in “Planned Bullyhood.”

Lila Rose is the founder of Live Action, the group known for exposing Planned Parenthood’s many unethical activities.

For more information or to register, visit www.ortl.org

Save the Date!

Exciting new developments are happening on the StandUpGirl website. We have launched a new series of videos titled “StandUpGuy.” These videos are real life testimonies from guys who have chosen to stand up and choose life for their babies. Each segment will spotlight a father who chose to support his family and raise his child even when the odds, and society, were against him. These fathers explain their feelings, experiences, and the decisions they made. Check out this new series on our home page at www.StandUpGirl.com.

Karen Handel

Lila Rose


40 Days for Life saves lives!The 40 Days for Life campaign is an effort to bring an

end to abortion with prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism. This year’s campaign from September 6 through November 4 saved 789 babies; six abortion workers quit their jobs and one Planned Parenthood abortion center closed. Since its be-ginning in 2007, there have been 11 campaigns in 481 cities across the U.S. and Canada and in 14 other countries. A total of 6,717 unborn babies have been saved. Seventy-five abor-tion workers have quit their jobs and 25 abortion facilities have closed. For information, visit www.40daysforlife.com.

UK doctors told to put patients on ‘death list’

The Daily Mail Online (10-16-2012) reported that GPs are being asked by the National Health Service to select one in every 100 of their patients most likely to die to put on a list for rationed health care. The patients will be singled out for “end-of-life care,” asked where they would prefer to die, and offered the option to draw up a “living will” and instruct doctors to withdraw life-saving treatment. The policy is, in part, an effort to save the NHS more than one billion pounds a year. Doctors were told that “older people are a priority to consider” and that patients in care homes should be “actively considered.” Proponents of the plan insist that as baby boomers reach old age, this will become “a bad situation which is going to only get worse unless we act now.”

In a Daily Mail column, journalist Melanie Phillips com-ments on the NHS’s current rationed care plan, the Livermore Care Pathway, by explaining, “Terminally ill patients have been heavily sedated and deprived of essential nutrients and fluids in order to make them die more quickly. And there are claims that it is increasingly being applied without the knowl-edge of patients’ families, and when such patients still have a chance of recovering for a few more precious weeks, months, or even years of life.”

Obvious is the undeniable focus on money and denying patients fully informed health care choices. The relevance for Americans under Obamacare can’t be ignored. [www.lifenews.com/2012/10/16/british-nhs-discriminates-against-elderly-is-obamacare-next; www.lifenews.com/2012/10/17/uk-doctors-told-to-make-death-list-of-patients-to-ration-care]

Court rules Texas can de-fund Planned Parenthood

After months of legal wrangling, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant an additional hearing to Planned Parenthood, effectively ending the legal controversy concern-ing Texas’ right to stop taxpayer funding of abortion provid-ers. Last year, the Texas state legislature defunded abortion providers including Planned Parenthood of state-controlled family planning funds. The U.S. Department of Health and Hu-man Services (HHS) withdrew $30 million in federal funding for Texas’ Women’s Health Program because they excluded Planned Parenthood — even though Planned Parenthood clinics represent less than two percent of the more than 2,500 enrolled providers. Pro-life Governor Rick Perry pledged to fully fund the program using state dollars. Subsequently, a Texas judge granted an injunction to Planned Parenthood af-

filiates while they sued the state over the law. State officials appealed the ruling, which resulted in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against Planned Parenthood.

Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser hailed the court’s ruling saying, “Governor Perry, the pro-life Texas state legislature, as well as our friends at Texas Right to Life deserve much praise. Even after the Obama administra-tion carried out its threat and cut funding for Texas’ Women’s Health Program because the state defunded abortion provid-ers, Texas refused to yield. Governor Perry vowed to keep the Woman’s Health Program, which serves vulnerable women, fully funded using state dollars. Texas has shown the rest of America what it means to be both pro-woman and pro-life.” [www.lifenews.com/2012/10/26/court-texas-has-the-right-to-defund-planned-parenthood]

Ballot measure victoriesIn a major pro-life victory, Massachusetts defeated

an effort to legalize assisted suicide by 51 to 49 percent. A coalition of pro-life groups, churches, disability rights advocates and doctors and nurses joined the effort to prevent the passage of “Ballot Question 2,” keeping the state from becoming the third state to legalize the practice. Oregon and Washington previously passed similar ballot measures. Initial polling showed assisted suicide proponents winning handily, with a poll less than two months prior to the election showing the measure winning 68 percent to 19 percent. John Kelly, director of the disability rights group, called the victory a significant setback to the expansion of assisted suicide in the U.S. Kelly explained, “Opposition to assisted suicide cuts across all partisan and ideological groups because the more people learn about the issue, the more they have second thoughts. Assisted suicide doesn’t expand choice, it limits choice — and that puts at risk anyone living with a disability, mental illness, or serious illness.” [www.lifenews.com/2012/11/07/massachusetts-fails-to-become-third-to-le-galize-assisted-suicide; NRL News Today, 11-9-2012]

Montana passed Legislative Referendum 120, a law that requires parental notice before an abortion can be performed on a minor under the age of 16, with 70 percent of voters supporting the measure. Montana has been the only “red” state that has not had some sort of parental involvement law. Now it has joined nearly 40 other states with this common sense policy. Jeff Laszloffy, head of the Montana Family Foun-dation, celebrated the victory saying, “Most schools won’t even give a child an aspirin without a parent’s approval. That is because parents know their child’s medical history, and as a society we hold parents responsible for protecting their children’s health. Abortion is obviously much more serious than getting an aspirin. It typically means invasive surgery, or the administration of powerful drugs. Complications can and do occur, such as hemorrhaging and infections. If a girl expe-riences complications after an abortion, how prepared will her parents be to provide follow-up care if they’re completely in the dark that an abortion has occurred?” [www.lifenews.com/2012/11/07/Montana-approves-measure-for-parental-notification-on-abortion]

In related news, the Superior Court for the State of Alaska recently upheld a parental notice law after 15 years of legal battling. In 1997, the legislature enacted a parental consent statute which was struck down. In 2012, Alaskans passed a

ballot initiative requiring parental notification. Planned Par-enthood filed suit, but the law was upheld by the court. An appeal is expected. [www.lifenews.com/2012/10/09/alaska-parental-notice-upheld-minors-protected-after-15-year-fight]

RU 486 marks 12th U.S. anniversary: 14 dead, 2,200 injured

Since the Clinton administration approved the dangerous abortion drug RU 486 in September of 2000, thousands of American women have been injured and 14 have died. To-day, about 17 percent of all abortions are induced by drugs, a procedure often called a medical, or medication, abortion. Reports by the Guttmacher Institute indicate that as many as 150 to 160 new doctors are doing these chemical abortions.

The death of teenager Holly Patterson in September, 2003 of a rare bacterial infection, calls into question the promises that RU 486 offers a safe, simple abortion. In fact, a recent Federal Drug Administration report released in 2011 says that at least 2,200 women have suffered “adverse events” signifi-cant enough to be reported: 612 women required hospitaliza-tion, 339 experienced blood loss requiring a transfusion, and 256 experienced infections, with 48 of those labeled “severe” by the FDA, and very likely life-threatening. The Obama administration did nothing to make the information available to women. Additionally, Planned Parenthood continues to administer the drug in ways not approved by the FDA.

Despite proponents’ talk about “reproductive health” and “women’s health,” Jeanne Monahan of the Family Research Council insists, “The bottom line is that abortion drugs are not about improving women’s health but are more accurately about advancing a radical pro-abortion agenda regardless of the impact on women’s health, even when it proves deadly.” [www.lifenews.com/2011/07/12/new-fda-report-abortion-drug-kills-14-women-injures-2200; www.lifenews.com/2012/09/28/abortion-drug-ru-486-marks-12-years-in-us-14-dead-2200-injured]

Abortion more dangerous than childbirth

For years, abortion advocates have claimed that abortion is safer than childbirth as part of their fight for abortion-on-demand for any reason through pregnancy. We’ve known the assertion is based upon manipulated numbers, and now a new study proves it. The study, released in November, was led by Dr. Priscilla Coleman and Dr. David Reardon.

The study included nearly 500,000 women experiencing first-time pregnancies and covered an extensive ten-year time period. Medical records from Danish government sources, the national abortion registry, and cause of death registry compared both early and late-term abortion to childbirth. This national, comprehensive, long-term study earned publication in respected medical journals. Results showed that during the first six months after an early abortion (12 weeks or less), a woman has double the risk of death compared to giving birth. During the first year following a late abortion (after 12 weeks), a woman has over three times the risk of death compared to giving birth.

The study can be found at www.lifeissues.org/breaking-news/2012/danish_medical_study_9_12.pdf

LIFENoTES

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It’s Free.It’s Easy.It Makesa Difference.For more information about Oregon Right to Life PAC or the Political Tax Credit call 503-463-8563 or visit www.ortl.org

Believe it or not, one out of every four abortions are paid for with your tax dollars.But now, thanks to a remarkable tax break, you can actually use some of yourtaxes to help prevent abortion rather than pay for them. Here’s how it works:

The Political Tax Credit.The political tax credit allows a married couple to give up to$100 to a qualified political committee — singles can give upto $50 — and then receive every penny back when they filetheir Oregon tax return. The deadline for this year’s politicaltax credit is December 31st. If you don’t respond by then, thesame amount of money will simply go to the state government.

Respond Today.Send your check of up to $100 for couples,$50 for single people, payable toOregon Right to Life PAC.4335 River Road N. Salem, OR 97303or donate online www.ortl.orgThank you.

Political Action Committee4335 River Road NorthSalem, Oregon 97303

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PAIDPortland, OR

PERMIT NO. 823

This donation would qualify as a credit on your Oregon tax return but is not deductible on your federal tax return.

Your Free Gift to Oregon Right to Life PACp Yes, here’s my Political Tax Credit contribution to help Oregon Right to LIfe PAC.

I understand I can get the entire amount back on my Oregon tax return up to $100 for married couples or up to $50 for single people. Enclosed is my political Tax Credit gift of:

p $50 p $100 p_____ Other

Please make checks payable to: Oregon Right to Life PAC 4335 River Road N. • Salem, OR 97303

Contributions to ORTL PAC qualify as a tax credit on your Oregon tax return, but are not deductible on your Federal tax return.

The Political Tax Credit.The political tax credit allows a married couple to give up to $100 to a qualified political committee – singles can give up to $50 – and then receive every penny back when they file their Oregon tax return. The deadline for this year’s political tax credit is December 31st. If you don’t respond by then, the same amount of money will simply go to the state government, a portion of which goes to pay for someone’s abortion.

Respond Today.Send your check of up to $100 for couples, $50 for single people, payable to Oregon Right to Life PAC.4335 River Road N. Salem, OR 97303 or donate online at www.ortl.orgThank You

Believe it or not, one out of every four abortions are paid for with your tax dollars. But now, thanks to a remarkable tax break, you can actually use some of your taxes to help prevent abortion rather than pay for them. Here’s how it works:

Stem cell breakthroughA scientific and ethical leap forward

Thirteen years ago, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese pharmacologist and researcher, made a social call to a friend’s fertility clinic. His friend invited him to look at some human embryos through a microscope.

What Yamanaka saw set him on a path that culminated in a Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology. And, in the process, has won him praise from the pro-life community.

As Yamanaka later told the New York Times, “When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters — I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.”

The search for “another way” took eight years, but eventually Yamanaka and his col-leagues at Kyoto University discovered a way to turn “adult stem cells into the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells without using an actual embryo.”

Using methods first developed with laboratory mice, Yamanaka and company “re-programmed” the adult skin cells by adding “genes called master regulators to the skin cells’ chromosomes. These genes can change the cell’s behavior by turning other genes on and off.”

When the findings were announced five

years ago, the moral implications were, if anything, even clearer than the scientific ones. The New York Times, in a bit of under-statement, said that his research offered a “possible way around the thorny moral issues that we have slowed the study of stem cells.” What the Times thought about the destruc-tion of embryos was, of course, left unsaid.

Others were not as reticent. The Vatican followed his work closely and publicized it. Cardinal Justin Rigali, the chairman of the Vatican’s Pro-Life Committee, preached a homily in which he told the story of Yamana-ka peering into the microscope. According to Rigali, “God can use a helpless embryo to change a human heart.” The National Right to Life Committee urged that Yamanaka be awarded the Nobel Prize.

Between 2009 and 2012, Yamanaka won three prestigious scientific prizes. Each of them cited the ethical, as well as scientific, impact of his work.

Then on October 8, he won the “big one,” the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, which he shares with John Gurdon of Great Britain.

As William Saletan of Slate magazine pointed out, the announcement completely omitted any reference to the moral and ethi-

cal implications of Yamanaka’s work. They merely cited him for developing “new tools” with which to fight disease.

As Saletan also noted, much of the main-stream media followed the Nobel committee’s leading. The New York Times, which com-mented, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, on the implications five years ago, completely omitted any such reference this time.

If I were of a more suspicious bent, I might suspect that some people would rather ignore the obvious, and look silly in the process, than acknowledge that pro-life objections to embryonic stem cell research stand on firm scientific, as well as moral grounds.

Even when the Nobel Laureate himself has acknowledged the moral considerations that motivated the research, they insist on ignor-ing the connection.

Well, consider this shout from the housetops: Saletan is right when he says that Yamanaka deserves an additional Nobel in ethics for “tearing down the wall between preserving embryos and saving lives.”

[This Breakpoint Daily Commentary by Eric Metaxis was posted on October 24, 2012 at www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/en-try/13/20593]

March 24-27, 2013 Salem, Oregon

Open to students ages 16 to 21

Camp Joshua equips students to persuasively defend the unborn in their everyday interactions.

For more information about Camp Joshua, or to apply online, go to www.ortl.org or www.camp-joshua.net.

Call 503-463-8563 for a free promotional brochure.

Camp Joshua

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an aim Commitment: a pledge or a p r o m i s e D e d i c a -tion:to devote wholly and Earnestly as to some person or purpose


a n a i m D e d i c a -tion:to devote wholly and Earnestly as to some person or purpose


a n a i m C o m m i t m e n t : to devote wholly and Earnestly as to some person or purpose


an aim Commitment: a pledge or a p r o m i s e D e d i c a -tion:to devote wholly and Earnestly as to some person or purpose

Training Tomorrow’s PRO-LIFE Leaders

March 24-27, 2013

Salem, Oregon

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